In New South Wales, any painting work valued at over $5,000 (including labour and materials) legally requires a licensed contractor. This isn't optional — it's a legal requirement under the Home Building Act 1989. Hiring an unlicensed painter means you have no access to the NSW Home Building Compensation Fund, no warranty protection, and limited legal recourse if things go wrong.
The $5,000 Threshold
The magic number is $5,000. This includes the total cost of labour, materials, and GST. In Sydney, most residential painting projects — even a single-room repaint — can approach or exceed this threshold once you factor in premium paints and proper preparation.
Why it matters: If you hire an unlicensed painter for a $7,000 exterior repaint and they damage your property or abandon the job, you have virtually no legal protection. With a licensed painter, you're covered by the Home Building Compensation Fund and can lodge a complaint with NSW Fair Trading.
What You Get with a Licensed Painter
- Home Building Compensation Fund: Automatic protection for work over $20,000 against incomplete or defective work
- NSW Fair Trading complaints: You can lodge a formal complaint that the government will investigate
- Statutory warranty: A minimum 2-year warranty on completion (6 years for structural defects)
- Written contract requirement: Licensed contractors must provide a written contract for work over $5,000
- Insurance: Licensed tradies typically carry public liability and workers' compensation insurance
- Accountability: Their licence can be suspended or cancelled for poor workmanship or unethical behaviour
Risks of Hiring Unlicensed Painters
- No legal protection under the Home Building Act
- No warranty on workmanship — if paint peels in 6 months, you're on your own
- No insurance — if they damage your property or injure themselves, you could be liable
- No recourse through NSW Fair Trading
- Often no ABN — meaning they're not paying tax and you can't claim deductions
- Corner-cutting — cheaper paints, skipped preparation, fewer coats
"We regularly fix jobs done by unlicensed painters — peeling paint after 6 months, poor preparation, paint on floors and fixtures. The 'savings' always end up costing more when the job needs redoing." — KPSS Painting
How to Verify a Painter's Licence in NSW
It takes 30 seconds to check. Here's how:
- Visit the NSW Fair Trading licence check page at fairtrading.nsw.gov.au
- Enter the contractor's licence number or business name
- Verify the licence is current (not expired or suspended)
- Check the type of work they're authorised to perform
- Note the licence holder's name matches who you're dealing with
What to Look For
- Licence type: Should be a "Painting" or "General Building" contractor licence
- Status: Must be "Current" — not "Expired" or "Suspended"
- ABN: Ask for their ABN and verify it at abr.business.gov.au
- Insurance: Request a copy of their public liability insurance certificate
KPSS Painting — Licensed, Insured, Verified
KPSS Painting is fully licensed and you can verify our credentials right now:
- NSW Licence No: 469375C — Verify on Fair Trading →
- ABN: 71 674 955 367 — Verify on ABR →
- Public Liability Insurance: Fully covered
- Workers' Compensation: Fully covered
- Experience: 15+ years serving Greater Sydney
For a free, no-obligation quote from a licensed, insured painting contractor, call +61 410 818 849 or request a quote online →